If you read your google reviews and think they’re all very kind, but a bit boring… then a video case study might be the answer…
Positive and credible online reviews are really important way for most businesses to establish trust with people thinking of buying from them.
Most customers will head to tripadvisor before trying a new restaurant, or to trustpilot before buying from an e-commerce site they’ve not used before.
And while it’s comforting to see those five star online reviews start to rack up for your business… do you ever feel about bit underwhelmed by the content of them?
Don’t get me wrong, they’re being perfectly nice about your business and the service you offered.
But if you’ve ever been a bit deflated to see another review posted which essentially boils down to ‘they’re really nice, offered a great service and I’d definitely recommend them’, then a video case study might be what you didn’t even know you needed…
What is a video case study?
A video case study is essentially a professionally filmed interview with one of your favourite clients about their journey of working with you.
It is really in-depth and specific, going into detail about the problems you solved for them, and why their business is so much better off for having worked with you.
This is really important, as your potential customers are likely experiencing the same issues your client did – so watching the video case study means they start to believe you could achieve the same result for them.
So while online reviews can lean towards being a bit wishy washy and just kind of nice, video case studies cut to the heart of what is important to the people watching who are thinking of buying from you.
How does a video case study improve the quality of my online business reviews?
Whilst an online review like the ones put on your google my business page are written by the customer, video case studies and testimonials are directed by you.
Obviously you can’t control exactly what people say, but you can control what topics they talk about.
I always hold a pre-production meeting with my client, where they tell me all about the service they offered the interviewee, and crucially, what points they’d like to be highlighted in the interview.
This means you can control the direction of the interview, and make sure the people watching know about the best parts of the service you offer.
Online reviews on the other hand often don’t pick up on these kind of things, as the client doesn’t necessarily think of them as important – but you know you went above and beyond for them!
Why do customers trust video testimonials?
Most people have some kind of awareness that online reviews like google reviews can be faked.
But even with the latest and most powerful AI tools – it’s very hard to fake an actual interview of someone giving a positive review!
Seeing is believing, and your interviewee being prepared to put their name and face to a testimonial gives it a lot of credibility.
It’s unlikely that many businesses in your sector will go to the effort of gathering video case studies and testimonials – so having them on your website and social media really sets you apart from the rest of your industry.
How can video testimonials be used online
There are three main places I’d recommend that you post video testimonials.
First is on your website, on a dedicated case study page. This is where you’d post the full version of the video testimonial.
When people first land on your website, it might be on your homepage to find out about the service which you offer. So when they want to know if they can trust your claims, by having a separate case study page it is very obvious where they need to go.
Secondly is as part of blogs, and dotted around other parts of your website.
When I produce a video testimonial, I create a three minute video which is the full version, and three short clips of around thirty seconds each.
These clips refer to a specific part of your service. For example, when working with Stoke-on-Trent recruitment agency Logic Resourcing, one of those clips was talking about how they go out to site to meet a client before recruiting for them.
This clip is then used on the ‘our process’ page of the website. It could also be used as part of a more in-depth blog.
Finally, these clips can also be used on social media. They’re short and engaging – perfect for the short attention spans of serial scrollers – and can link to your website and the full versions if people want to find out more.
Want to improve your online reviews and show customers why they can trust you? Get in touch for a free 30 minute consultation about how video case studies could work for your business.
